Ideas For Christmas

History Of Christmas

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:29:01 +0000

Commercial activities during Christmas today are often decried as making
the season too materialistic. This has caused comments that the religious aspect
of Christmas is so overlooked and overshadowed that its celebration seems to be
purely pagan. But today’s comparisons aren’t the first there has been some link
between Christmas and pagan celebrations. As a religious, church leaders
instituted Christmas during winter because that time of year was a popular for
the celebrations of many pagan festivals. The hope was that Christmas would also
become a holiday that would gain much popularity.
Long before the birth of Jesus Christ, people in various parts of Europe would
celebrate light and birth in the darkest days of winter. The winter solstice,
when the harshest part of winter was over, was a time of celebration for many
peoples because they would look forward to more hours of sunlight during the
longer days ahead.
The Norse in Scandinavia celebrated Yule from the winter solstice on
December 21 through to January. Men brought home logs that were lighted and a
feast would take place until the log was completely burned. Each spark from the
fire was believed to represent a new pig or calf to be born in the coming new
year.
The pagan god Oden was honored by Germans during the mid-winter holiday. Oden
inspired great fear in the Germans who believed that Oden traveled at nights
through the sky to observe people and make a decision about who would perish or
prosper in life. This belief caused most people to stay inside during the
period.
In Rome it was the god of agriculture, Saturn, who was honored in a
holiday called Saturnalia. It was a holiday that started during the week that
led up to the winter solstice and continued for a month with hedonistic
celebrations. There was plenty of food and drink and the normal social class
rules of who had privilege and power in Roman society were totally disregarded
as everyone participated in the festivities. Some Romans also had a feast called
Juvenalia to honor children and the birthday of the sun god Mithra was sometimes
celebrated by the upper classes.
In the early years of the start of Christianity the main holiday was
Easter. It was in the 4th Century that church officials made a decision to have
the birth of Jesus celebrated as a holiday and Pope Julius I chose December 25
as the day of Jesus’ birth. The holiday, which was first called the Feast of the
Nativity, spread to England by the end of the 6th Century and to Scandinavia by
the end of the 8th Century.
Church leaders achieved the goal of having Christmas celebrations, including
attendance at church, become popular during the winter solstice, but they were
unable to control other pagan-like celebrations during Christmas. Believers
would attend church on Christmas and then participate later in raucous and
drunken celebrations. But by the Middle Ages, from around the 5th to the 16th
Century, Christianity had outgrown paganism as a religion.
The celebration of Christmas in Europe changed in the early 17th Century
when Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans gained power in England in 1645. To remove
decadent behavior from the society, Cromwell cancelled Christmas as the Puritans
noted that the Bible doesn’t mention any date for Jesus’ birth. The lack of this
information and specific Biblical references to Christmas is also cited by
religious groups like Jehovah Witnesses as the reason they don’t observe or
participate in Christmas. Christmas celebrations returned in England around 1649
when Charles II was restored to the throne.
Christmas wasn’t a holiday in early America because the Pilgrims who came
to America had even stricter beliefs than Cromwell and the Puritans. Christmas
celebrations were even forbidden in Boston from 1659 to 1681. During the same
time however, settlers in Jamestown in Virginia were reported to have enjoyed
Christmas.
After the American Revolution Christmas again lost popularity and it wasn’t
until June 26, 1870 that Christmas was declared a federal holiday. Christmas in
the United States gained popularity as a holiday period during the 19th Century.
Christmas celebrations also changed at that time to be more family-centered
rather than being carnival-like.
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Fun Facts About Christmas

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:27:17 +0000

Christmas is a time for decorating your home and your neighborhood and bringing a sense of joy and warmth to your family and others. From tinsel to trees, ribbons to wreaths, and ornaments to gingerbread men, the holiday season is full of colorful Christmas related décor. There are some interesting facts about some common Christmas props you may not know. For example, the shiny ribbons of silver we put on our tree called tinsel originated from Germany in the early 1600s. The first real tinsel was actually made from real silver and cut into very thin strips. Machines were used to cut the sheets of silver, and then the resulting strips were hung on the tree. Of course, the newer version does not turn colors due to rust or tarnish, is much lighter, and much less expensive.

You may enjoy buying a new, fresh live Christmas tree each year, but some people prefer to buy the artificial version. These “fake Christmas trees” also came from Germany. They used to be constructed of metal wires with goose or other birds’ feathers attaches to represent the branches. At one point, these trees were made of brushes, much like toilet brushes, until finally in the 1950s, artificial trees started to be manufactured that looked much more realistic. These were manufactured in America and have remained a popular décor item to this day.

During the snowy winter months, you probably see snowmen all over the neighborhood. It may be surprising to learn that the first snowman known as Arktos came from Greek legend. Ever since then, the snowman has become the thing of legend. Some of the most popular nicknames for snowmen include Jack Frost and Frosty the snowman. People love to build these frozen men in their front yards and top them off with a hat, scarf, carrot nose, and eyes made of coal. They are a comforting and friendly sight throughout the Christmas season.

In the 1830s, an Englishman by the name of John Calcott Horsley began sending beautiful photos and cards as a way to express holiday cheer for others. This is when the Christmas card was born. Today, it is one of the most common ways to celebrate the holiday and to share your love for others during the season. Most of the Christmas props and decorations we use today have a long and storied history that many people may not know about. It is amazing to see where these traditions came from and how much they have evolved over the years since they first began.

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Privacy

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:14:12 +0000

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Do Follow, Keyword Luv, Comment Luv and Top Commentor

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:13:35 +0000

Looking for regular “follow” Links to your site? This is a do follow blog it is running top commenter, keyword luv,

and comment luv and therefore rewards you for leaving good quality comments with a back-links!

Link building is a never ending process for the bloggers and everyone knows that the more incoming links we get – better we rank in SERP’s and more traffic we get.

The entire concept is EXTREMELY simple – contribute quality comments to other blogs and in return get valuable links to your internal pages, in many cases with full PR juice!

Please Note:

All low quality comments will be deleted, simply add to the original post, stay on topic, and your comment will be approved.

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Contact Us

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:12:54 +0000

If you have any questions regarding the content in this website, about the products that are mentioned, or just any questions at all don’t hesitate to contact me at the following address. I’d also love to hear any feedback on the site if you’ve found it helpful or have some ideas about how I can improve the site in some way.

Please contact me at thomassherwin@yahoo.com!

I will reply to all messages as soon as possible.
Thomas Sherwin

About Us

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:11:50 +0000

IdeasForChristmas.org is dedicated to providing quality information on the subject of costumes and in particular, on various merchants that sell Christmas Gifts.

Here you will find helpful reviews, informative information and tips and much more. This site is in the format of a ‘weblog’ so that each time I post new information, it will come to the top of the front page. This means that you can check back here frequently to see new updates to the information found here.

You can navigate through the site by using the menus on the sides of the page. Also don’t hesitate to follow the links you see in bold throughout each post to learn more about the product being spoken about.

I hope you find the information I provide valuable and helpful.

All the best,
Tom Sherwin

The Meaning of Christmas

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:33:47 +0000

It is that time of year when you walk outside, the air smells crisp and the skies are a little grey. Jack Frost has touched the window panes with his magic fingers and the ice scraper needs to come out of the glove box in order to scrape off the front car window. Street lights take on a new aura as their red and green lights blink on and off. You begin to drive down the side streets on your way home to see who has the best light show on their lawn, and the children have sent their wish lists off to Santa. If you haven’t guessed what time of year it is, it is Christmas time.

Christmas itself represents a Holiday season that has taken on countless meanings all over this diverse country of ours; from snow covered hills to pink lights on palm trees, nativity scenes to peppermint pigs. Ebenezer Scrooge and The Grinch, as well as Miracle on 34th Street and It’s A Wonderful Life, all hold a special place in our hearts. Some of us may travel across the country during Christmas time, while others of us may simply travel across the street.

No matter what our Christmas traditions are, there is one very strong connection that we all share. Recent events in our country’s history, [9-11, Hurricane Katrina], remind us all of this connection and continue to strengthen that bond every day. This time of year we gather together with friends and family. As we gather, some of us may celebrate the birth of Christ, some of us may light candles on a Menorah, some of us may simply unwrap gifts with glee without a second thought. Yet there is no doubt, no question, that we all gather to celebrate each other.

We gather to celebrate life, and family, and those we love. We gather to enjoy good food, good conversation and good company. We reminisce about past holidays, remember those we love who are no longer with us, and plan for the future. We share photos, we share gifts, and we share laughs. At Christmas time we look for the innocent sparkle in our children’s eyes as we help them to create their own memories, and tuck them soundly into bed with a smile on their faces as ‘visions of sugar plums dance in their heads’.

No matter our age, our race, or our nationality; No matter our heritage, our upbringing, or our traditions; At Christmas time, we live, we laugh, and we love.

The History Of Christmas

Tom11980 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:33:10 +0000